Press Herald (from The Washington Post; Portland, Maine, Dec. 4) – Teachers at a network of charter schools in Chicago went on strike Tuesday, a first for American charters and a sign that they are facing issues similar to the traditional public schools they compete with. For some backers, charters were seen as an alternative to traditional schools, free to innovate without the restrictions of union contracts and other district rules. That may no longer be the case, says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.
